Ofsted praised Harrow Council’s approach to safeguarding children during its most recent visit to the civic centre.

Inspectors carried out a ‘focused visit’ earlier this year to examine the council’s work on behalf of children who need protection.

They found that, overall, the council has a “clear” strategy when it comes to supporting such children and praised the “strong corporate leadership” at the authority.

Cllr Christine Robson, responsible for children’s services at Harrow Council, said it is vital that this remains a priority.

She said: “Safeguarding Harrow children is the most important work this council does.

“We are committed to getting it right first time. Ofsted’s judgement shows we are achieving that, even as our budgets face unprecedented pressures.”

She praised everyone at the council’s children’s services team, pointing out that they work meticulously on a case-by-case basis.

“They then work with our partners to get an overall picture of individual situations, so that together we can identify what needs to be done,” she added.

While overwhelmingly positive – following on from a ‘good’ rating achieved in 2017 – the report recommended a few areas for improvement.

These included greater engagement with partners and a more effective approach to reporting the impact of early support for children who need protection.